Workers at Ben Weitsman of Albany scrapyard at the Port of Albany this week began taking apart the Southwest Airlines jet that landed nose first last July at LaGuardia Airport in New York City after a flight from Nashville.

While just minor injuries were reported among passengers and crew, the aircraft "was substantially damaged" after its nose wheel collapsed, according to a preliminary report by the National Transportation Safety Board.

In November, the aircraft was taken by barge up the Hudson River to the port.

After investigators completed their work, yard employees disassembled the plane, trucking some of the pieces to a Weitsman yard in Owego, where it will being shredded into pieces less than an inch in size.

"We were very careful to make sure everything is destroyed," said yard owner Adam Weitsman. "They wanted guaranteed destruction of it. You wouldn't want something that might be defective put back" in use.

Weitsman said materials that can be recycled will be, while the rest will be sent to a landfill.

Business at the Albany yard, which opened last summer, has exceeded expectations, he said Tuesday afternoon. "We're really excited about Albany," he said.